tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72569234256271624262018-03-05T18:29:17.124-08:00Fit For My FortiesTrials, tribulations, tales and titillations from a 40- something year old, Scot, determined to stave of his cultural and genetic destiny with sporadic efforts to attain Physical perfection impaired by unhelpful refueling strategies and familial responsibilities.
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-1995390418256704372013-11-04T06:44:00.002-08:002013-12-02T06:15:44.176-08:00Myvember 2013Hat tip to everyone raising money for male cancer issues this month. Movember is a terrific concept and every year new generations of young men will come awkwardly stumbling through puberty with the same concerns that ever other generation of men have faced. It's for those young fellas that we need to continually push the need for education, awareness and the importance of visiting your doctor to discuss honestly and without fear of embarrassment matters pertaining to our physical well-being. <p>I have only one concern and that is that sometimes we might just be missing the elephant in the room; that in our typical male zeal for competition where we challenge one another to grow the finest tache, or to raise the most money are we putting the cart before the horse. Shouldn't we simply make our own efforts to raise awareness. Highlight to one another that we need to ask our doctors for prostate tests and to have abnormalities examined; acknowledge that there are other benign conditions which could have similar symptoms to those of a cancer, but it's a whole lot smarter to get a benign condition checked out than to allow a cancer to develop unchecked - never mind the mental relief when that dark shadow at the back of your mind has been addressed. No point growing a big gunslinger for money and not getting your own issues addressed. <p>For My November this year, I'm going to sport a tache in support of the bro's who do so, but I don't want your money. I want you to look after yourself and go and get those things that checked out, checked out. Go and see your Doctor about that creaky knee - get some physio organised and get active again. Go talk about your digestive issues. Drink less this month - have a few extra AFDs (Alcohol Free Days)! Do something for yourself and your health every day whether it's a cardio session or as simple as a health check - that's what I'm going to do, even if it is just getting my teeth checked, it counts! <P>Starting at 86.3kg, this is MYvember: <p><table border="1"><tr><td><b>Day</b></td> <td><b>Activity</b> </td> <td><b>Effort</b> </td> <td><b>A.F.D. </b></td></tr> <!-- DAY --> <!-- ACTIVITY -------------------------- --> <!-- EFFORT ------ --> <!-- AFD --><tr><td> 1</td> <td>Treadmill 5km </td> <td>26 mins Hard </td> <td>Y - 1 </td> </tr><tr><td> 2</td> <td>Boxing circuits (Sweeneys) </td> <td>30 mins Easy </td> <td>N - 1 </td> </tr><tr><td> 3</td> <td>Road Running 6km </td> <td>Easy </td> <td>N - 1 </td> </tr><tr><td> 4</td> <td>Dental Checkup </td> <td>n/a </td> <td>N - 1 </td> </tr><tr><td> 5</td> <td>Spin Class </td> <td>300 kCal - Hard </td> <td>Y - 2 </td> </tr><tr><td> 6</td> <td>Swimming </td> <td>Moderate </td> <td>Y - 3 </td> </tr><tr><td> 7</td> <td>KickBox Circuits </td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>Y - 4 </td> </tr><tr><td> 8</td> <td>Gym stretch & Swim </td> <td>v. Easy </td> <td>Y - 5 </td> </tr><tr><td> 9</td> <td>Watch the rugby with a bottle of wine </td> <td>n/a </td> <td>N - 5 </td> </tr><tr><td> 10</td> <td>Swimming training </td> <td>Moderate </td> <td>Y - 6 </td> </tr><tr><td> 11</td> <td>Body Pump Class </td> <td>Hard </td> <td>Y - 7 </td> </tr><tr><td> 12</td> <td>Spin Class </td> <td>Hard </td> <td>Y - 8 </td> </tr><tr><td> 13</td> <td>Swimming </td> <td>Easy </td> <td>Y - 9 </td> </tr><tr><td> 14</td> <td>KickBox Circuits </td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>Y -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 15</td> <td>Walk </td> <td>Easy </td> <td>N -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 16</td> <td>Watch Rugby </td> <td>n/a </td> <td>N -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 17</td> <td>Swimming & watch Rugby, Travel to Paris</td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>N -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 18</td> <td>Jogging Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe </td> <td>Easy </td> <td>N -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 19</td> <td>Conference & Travelling home </td> <td>n/a </td> <td>N -10 </td> </tr><tr><td> 20</td> <td>Walking </td> <td>v. Easy </td> <td>Y -11 </td> </tr><tr><td> 21</td> <td>KickBox Circuits </td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>Y -12 </td> </tr><tr><td> 22</td> <td>Gym & swim </td> <td>Moderate </td> <td>N -13 </td> </tr><tr><td> 23</td> <td>Swim & Squash </td> <td>Moderate </td> <td>N -13 </td> </tr><tr><td> 24</td> <td>Daughter's birthday party ;-) </td> <td>n/a </td> <td>N -13 </td> </tr><tr><td> 25</td> <td>Pump Class (30 mins) </td> <td>Hard </td> <td>Y -14 </td> </tr><tr><td> 26</td> <td>Spin class (30 mins) </td> <td>Hard </td> <td>N -14 </td> </tr><tr><td> 27</td> <td>Swim & stretch </td> <td>Moderate </td> <td>Y -15 </td> </tr><tr><td> 28</td> <td>KickBox Circuits </td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>N -15 </td> </tr><tr><td> 29</td> <td>Squash League match </td> <td>v. Hard </td> <td>N -15 </td> </tr><tr><td> 30</td> <td>Kids Swimming </td> <td>v. Easy </td> <td>N -15 </td> </tr> </table> Summary: I started the month @ 86.3 Kg and finished at 85.9 kg - that's just measurement noise unfortunately, so we can't claim any great weight loss. Just by looking at the alcohol consumption in a very specific way it seems that I've had at least a glass of wine, if not more, on exactly 50% of the days this month. If you'd asked me to predict what days I might drink during the month I'd have said probably about 6-8 days, so that's a bit disappointing - but quite telling in it's own way. I had 12 fitness sessions lasting 30 minutes or more that I would class as working hard with 5 sessions of moderate effort and 8 easy sessions. Interesting, as I feel pretty good generally, but I do think I need to lose weight! Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-47691614554042105512013-10-23T15:55:00.001-07:002013-10-23T16:06:35.230-07:00Bike rollers<p dir="ltr">First session on cycle rollers. <br>Been slacking for a while using a sore knee as an excuse, but really feeling the need to get something done I finally built the bike <u>rollers</u> I bought in summer for winter training - easy as pie.</p><p dir="ltr">First thing that struck me was how much higher the bike sits of the ground when up on the rollers. Still, I gingerly climbed aboard and using the kitchen benches for support got going (I've wedged myself and the bike into a galley kitchen till I learn how to ride these things).<br>No freewheeling at all...<br>Pedal stroke completely erratic...<br>No balance...<br>Tyres were flat...<br>Pumped them up...<br>Bit better... <br>Got riding with hands on the handle bars for short bursts, but nothing like these guys who post internet videos claiming to have just opened the box and can ride no problem... Suspect they might be exaggerating their capabilities somewhat.</p><p dir="ltr">Was quickly sweating like the proverbial. Maybe due to the need for total focus, maybe due to cycling with no ventilation - although I don't sweat like that in spin classes until we really get going, so suspect it's the hidden effort of trying to stay upright.</p><p dir="ltr">Overall, I'm quite pleased. I can see exactly how poor and lacking in smoothness my pedal stroke is and how little I engage my core when riding. Time for some new skills and this looks like exactly the machine to help me develop those techniques!</p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-65316396383730371772013-09-09T07:21:00.001-07:002013-09-09T07:56:18.334-07:00Monday Strength trainingFound a colleague at work willing to join me for a strength training Monday session. We seem to have settled on a wee pyramid session doing some old school exercises and it's great! So we've been progressing with a sets of 8/5/3/5/8 as we add weight. The idea is to quickly progress up towards what should be our maximal weight for the exercise, hopefully without getting injured or over-stressing ourselves on the way. We'll base the starting weight next week on what we attained as heaviest weight this week. after a 10 minute warm up on the trainers, we're pushing big weights on Deadlifts & Bench Press then using Clean & press as an almost aerobic allover body 'finisher'. Throw in a couple of sets of pullups & dips using body weight to remind ourselves where we are in terms of actual power to weight ratios and finally give the show ponies a wee pump doing a spot of Ezy bar curling - mainly for aesthetics, but perhaps in deference to the old school naivety of our program ;-) <p> Weigh-in 85 Kg; Still a bit heavy and mildly surprised that I'm not shifting any weight, as I definitely feel much better going about my business. Trousers fitting much better this week too! <p> <list><li> 10 mins warm up - elliptical trainer </list> <p><center><table border="1"><tr><td><b>Exercise</b></td><td><b>Max Weight (kg)</b></td></tr><tr><td>Deadlift</td><td>90.0 </td></tr><tr><td>BenchPress</td><td>87.5 kg</td></tr></table></center> <list><li>3 sets of 10 pull ups - failed miserably, attaining 5 on the first set then pretty much falling of the bars somewhere between 3 & 4 on the next 2 sets. <li>Did manage 1 set of 10 dips, before embarrassing myself on the next 2 sets also. <li>3 sets of 10 Clean & Press with a 30kg BarBell - aiming to really get the heart going and get some power through speed into each movement. <li>2 sets of 10 with 20kg on the Ezy bar. </list> <p>Felt a lot better at the end of the session than I did going into it. Old school chucking rocks about rocks!!!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-21115999624792853062013-09-04T08:56:00.003-07:002013-09-04T08:56:44.077-07:00Rowing challenge - update So, a few more detail have emerged on this rowing challenge, which my mate's evil personal trainer has decided is a suitable end of session 'metabolic booster' (He sounds pretty evil if you ask me!) (Just for the record, the task is to perform x6 250m spints on the rowing machine (ergometer) at a pace faster than 1:30/500m - it's a bloody tough challenge in it's own right, never mind one that follows a fast paced, personal training circuit with weights). My first few attempts have been miserable failures, but Ian posted a picture of the stats for him completing 1 set in 41 seconds... and I'm nowehere near that pace. The picture led to some interesting comments on facebook. An interesting development on the thread was this bit: <blockquote>1.25/500m is FAST. For people who don't know - the 2000m WR is a 1.22/500 pace. (Albeit for 4x longer). And that guy is obviously a professional rower. So for Ian to be close to that pace, even for a 250m is fantastic.</blockquote> <blockquote>1:24.6/500 average for a 5:38 2000m is the record (Rob Waddell from NZ back in 1999 n the man was a monster.) My PB is 5:48 - about 20 years ago (christ I am getting old!) Full respect for an amatur 1:25/500 split!</blockquote> <blockquote>And for reference on the age thing, Rob in 2008 broke the 30-39 age record age 32 in 5:38.6, only 0.3 seconds slower than his row 9 years prior.</blockquote> I bloody knew it was a difficult challenge! Anyway! Resistance (drag) set to ten. Loins girded, strategy decided (High stroke rate at expense of length), position assumed... and they're off. <table border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr align="center"><td><b>Predicted Finish time....</b></td><td><b>Elapsed time</b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td> 41 sec</td><td> 5 sec</td><td align="left">... ya beauty!</td></tr><tr align="center"><td> 43 sec</td><td>10 sec</td><td align="left">... keep it together Jimmy, keep it together.</td></tr><tr align="center"><td> 45 sec</td><td>15 sec</td><td align="left">... awwwww feck!!!!!</td></tr><tr align="center"><td> 45 sec</td><td>20 sec</td><td align="left">...Yes! Yes!... </td></tr></table><blockquote>"This is the engine room Cap'n... she cannae take it anymore!!!"</blockquote><table border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tr align="center"><td><b>Predicted Finish time....</b></td><td><b>Elapsed time</b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td> 48 sec</td><td>48 sec</td><td align="left">...och well, getting better... </td></tr></table> just need to shave 3 seconds off my best time, repeat it 5 more times then slip in a heavy weights session before hand, but I'm getting there.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-78912825983759087692013-09-02T07:06:00.003-07:002013-09-02T07:06:43.228-07:00Different approach - same result...Instead of aiming to do 250m as quickly as I could, I thought this week I'd try rowing as fast as I could for the 45sec that the challenge should take... Best effort 215m... I honestly don't feel that I can row any faster than this... How can it be possible? Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-24583306440160047702013-08-21T08:34:00.001-07:002013-08-21T08:34:29.930-07:00Getting the (not so) Good news - you are what you eat!Despite a fairly active last few months with a regular commitment to serious circuit training on Thursdays, spin class on Tuesdays & strength sessions on a Monday my Nuffield Health MOT didn't go too well today. Nearly 2kg up from where I thought I should be and with an increased belly-hip ratio, we know exactly where that extra weight is - and unfortunately it's not in the old 'muscle is heavier than fat' story. The sad truth is I've been eating a lot and a lot of what I've been eating has been rubbish... I guess it's time to really start paying attention to the re-fuelling strategy, as I don't think I can afford to spend any more time training at the moment. You should probably sell your Dorito shares about now...Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-21605473684495985982013-08-20T14:31:00.001-07:002013-08-20T14:31:43.782-07:00Tuesday Spin Class stats<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362382930#.UhPdQ0if8dY.blogger">Spin Class by jim.macfarlane at Garmin Connect - Details</a> <iframe width='465' height='316' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/362382930'></iframe>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-41467520006573321252013-08-19T05:33:00.003-07:002013-09-04T08:52:50.152-07:00uh oh!So, 6 x 250m on the ergometer @ 1:30/500m pace.... You should have taken that bet!<br /><br />I gave it a wee bash today at lunch time, with a fairly easy warm-up, some upper body moves (pull-ups &amp; dips if you must know) and some stretching.<br /><br />1. Set the erg up for 250m and row at a quickish pace, but still breathing... 1 min 06 sec with an end pace of 2:13 / 500m.<br /><br />ok, so that means that 1:30 / 500m is quite a bit quicker than my normal pace.<br /><br />Let's go balls out to see how far away...<br /><br />2. Perform 3 sets @ maximum pace whilst maintaining some semblance of form...<br /><br /><table border="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr align="center"><td><b>Time</b> </td><td><b>Pace / 500m</b></td></tr><tr align="center"><td>52.8</td><td>1:45.6</td></tr><tr align="center"><td>53.8</td><td>1:47.6</td></tr><tr align="center"><td>54.1</td><td>1:48.2</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It's not getting any quicker as we practice and it's a long way from 1:30 / 500m and that's not at the end of a hard PT workout and it's only half the challenge... uh oh!<br /><br /><br /><br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-20794002740585205142013-08-16T03:57:00.001-07:002013-08-16T03:57:41.758-07:00A New & Interesting Remote ChallengeI've got an old rugby mate who live in Melbourne, who seems to be going through his own form of mid-life crisis with some pretty tough sounding <a href="http://www.readpt.com/" target="_blank">personal training</a>. He just posted that they finished a session with 6x250m sprints on the ergometer @ 1:30/500m pace... If you haven't tried it, that's bloody hard going by any standards. Right now I don't even think I could do that pace, never mind hold it for 250m then repeat it 5 times.... but I bet I can before the end of October... Game on!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-87509915138375890592013-08-15T03:35:00.001-07:002013-08-16T01:07:31.548-07:00Maggie's monster<div dir="ltr">Can't believe I forgot to mention this, but I completed the gold level of Maggie's monster bike and hike with 2 great friends in May this year. I was really looking forward to it as an event since the turn of the year, but a chest infection in March, which knocked me for 6 had cast a fairly big shadow of doubt over my participation. In the end I got some fairly powerful anti-biotics and was better with 3 weeks to go... not the greatest ever training program. Fortunately my team mates agreed to a trial run 2 weeks out from the event and Finlay planned a circular route from Callander, which included 2 hours cycling in the rain then a hike from Callander out to Balquidder and back over Glen Finglas to Brig O'Turk, before hitting the road along the South side of Loch Venacher back to Callander.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krK0FVOIfKQ/Ug3dT9asGPI/AAAAAAAAG5U/nNMmeHdfrt8/s1600/Rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krK0FVOIfKQ/Ug3dT9asGPI/AAAAAAAAG5U/nNMmeHdfrt8/s400/Rainbow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hill walking &amp; Scottish Weather - always a challenge!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div dir="ltr">I think we learned an awful lot about ourselves on that - and it dawned on us just how big an undertaking the Monster was going to be... The only thing to do from then on was diet carefully, do a bit more cardio work without overdoing it and concentrate on stretching for strength &amp; flexibility.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FfkAvQkpAq4/Ugyp5_D9A2I/AAAAAAAAG4o/bFCNxyPE5lw/s1600/IMG_20130504_071637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FfkAvQkpAq4/Ugyp5_D9A2I/AAAAAAAAG4o/bFCNxyPE5lw/s320/IMG_20130504_071637.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasn't able to do justice to the early morning light unfortunately</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">For the event we cycled from Fort William to Fort Augustus on a glorious Saturday morning, after having seen it lash with rain for all of Friday. It had snowed overnight and Nevis Range was as stunning a backdrop as you could imagine as we followed the Caledonian Canal footpath for about 20 miles, before getting into 5 miles of reasonably challenging &amp; occasionally technical mountain biking - with not a few moments of utter joy free wheeling down through forestry tracks.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">After parking the bikes at Fort Augustus and donning the walking gear, the rain started and stayed with us for the next 6 hours as we trudged up the West side of Loch Ness. Chatting with our fellow 'competitors' though was entertaining and inspirational as we heard so many stories of people who had recovered from cancer and were walking or those who were doing so in tribute to friends or family members that had lost their battle with this awful disease.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">From Drumnadrochit to Inverness was an overnight adventure through forestry trails and about as strange a thing as I'll ever do. Who wouldn't be touched by the kindness of the volunteers who were manning tea tents in the middle of nowhere. Walking from the darkest part of the night towards the lights of Inverness and a slow breaking dawn was a high I'll never forget, and 23 hours 21 minutes after setting off, we crossed the finish line to the slight whiff of bacon butties in the distance and the satisfied feeling of a good job, well done.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">You can still donate to the cause <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/Jubilee2012" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-26978708596460093202013-08-15T02:50:00.000-07:002013-08-15T02:50:01.969-07:00Endurance Events and the mid-life crisis<div dir="ltr">As I head further into my forties now I find myself more and more drawn to endurance sports. It seems to be a common theme amongst us middle aged men, as the 21st century is becoming the age of the MAMIL (middle aged men in Lycra). I'm hugely impressed by my fellow odd balls who drag themselves through pain barriers to complete 10km, half marathon, marathon and ultra- marathon events, sometimes I even get jealous when someone completes a novel new challenge that I hadn't had the imagination to have already considered for myself. It doesn't bode well for aging gracefully!</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Attended an interesting talk last night though by <a href="http://www.runwithmark.com/" target="_blank">Mark Cooper</a> who had a slightly different, almost non-competitive, perspective on life, happiness and endurance eventing. He's set me thinking! He got into endurance events as a way of getting focus and shaking off his mental &amp; physical flabbiness. I liked the term, mental flabbiness - I wonder if I don't suffer a fair bit of that at times. Running replaced smoking as an addiction for Mark, but finding a job that he loves has meant that he doesn't depend on having a running event to aim for... which is just as well really, as each time his events get bigger and having run from Amsterdam to Barcelona already, that could get out of control quite quickly I imagine.</div><div dir="ltr">&nbsp;</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-21375157508656750722013-08-07T05:37:00.001-07:002013-08-07T05:37:08.772-07:00August 2013 Weigh-In <p dir="ltr">What you can't measure, you can't control. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ie3kvCUWWSY/UgI_coUO7fI/AAAAAAAAG4I/V7aARZHpho0/s1600/IMG_20130807_133431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ie3kvCUWWSY/UgI_coUO7fI/AAAAAAAAG4I/V7aARZHpho0/s640/IMG_20130807_133431.jpg"> </a> </div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0East Kilbride, East Kilbride55.76435 -4.1769986tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-27570928160931259822012-05-31T08:05:00.001-07:002012-05-31T08:05:42.699-07:00Caledonian Etape 2012On Sunday 13th May, my good friend Finlay Kerr and I completed the Marie Curie Caledonian etape, racing 81 miles across Highland roads, through our wonderfully inclement summer weather. A huge thank you to everyone who donated so generously to our fundraising on behalf of Marie Curie Cancer care. Currently the online total is well over £950 and with the cash I’ve collected so far our grand total is already past £1300, which exceeded any expectations I might have had before undertaking the grueling training program and much more enjoyable race from Pitlochry. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xujzzIVIksE/T8eIIaO-dHI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/O2QpgYVyEMY/s1600/RouteMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="275" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xujzzIVIksE/T8eIIaO-dHI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/O2QpgYVyEMY/s400/RouteMap.jpg" /></a></div> For the race itself, we endured a fairly strong wind and just a wee bit or rain – nothing like the Central belt suffered that day – belying the weather forecast which was for torrential rain during the race. Only around Loch Rannoch, just after the 1st feed station, did I have to ride into the wind with rain falling at the same time and fortunately that was a fairly short leg to the end of the loch, where the rain stopped and the wind became my friend blowing me on down to feed station 2, just before the Schiehallion climb. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KqgCKP5XZU/T8eISHa1_KI/AAAAAAAAC3k/HuQeq2qD1wU/s1600/web-ETAM3026.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KqgCKP5XZU/T8eISHa1_KI/AAAAAAAAC3k/HuQeq2qD1wU/s400/web-ETAM3026.jpeg" /></a></div> The climb was less onerous than many I’d already endured in training so it was with great joy that I blazed past feed station 3 and onto the descent. Alas, the 5 miles directly into the wind, which was by then blowing a real gale, along the Fortingal Loop directly up Glen Lyon had me regretting that missed food stop, amongst other things. My unprotected Hi-tec Squash shoes from the 80’s also had me wondering whether there might be an outdoor clothes shop somewhere along the line, as my feet were like blocks of ice by now. Fortunately those 5 miles into the strong headwind were more than adequately compensated for as the next 15 miles or so back down the glen through Aberfeldy were on fast sealed roads and joyfully accompanied by the now helpful tailwind. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GFus2BY4jVQ/T8eIgrUekwI/AAAAAAAAC3w/1iZ9Dpg0C4U/s1600/VictoriousFinishers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GFus2BY4jVQ/T8eIgrUekwI/AAAAAAAAC3w/1iZ9Dpg0C4U/s400/VictoriousFinishers.jpg" /></a></div> I nearly skipped Feed station 4 as were buzzing along so well by now, but having cursed my decision to skip feed station 3, I forced a flapjack down and took a quick top up to the water bottles. Just as well, for the final sting in the tail was waiting from Logierait with a couple of nasty wee climbs up through the woods as we cut away from the main roads and back onto track. I’d like to think I usefully burned those fresh syrupy calories there. Chivas Regal Royal Salute Whisky Sweepstake With Finlay finishing in 5 hours 28 min and my chip time at 5 hours 53 min, the bottle of Royal Salute whisky is rather poignantly won by John MacFarlane (no relative) of Furnace in Argyll. I’m sad to say that John’s family is just one of the many that I’ve encountered in this journey who are learning first-hand how important the Marie Curie organisation is, as his son Gordon battles bowel cancer from his home in Northern Ireland. Kudos to Chivas Regal, who have supplied some consolation prizes in the form of 3 bottles of 12 Year old Chivas Regal whisky, which have been won by Carol Croft (East Kilbride), Louise Greenan (Glasgow) and Ian MacMillan (Paisley). It’s not too late to donate to the Justgiving fund if you haven’t already done so http://www.justgiving.com/etape2012 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UBcgvr1vak/T8eInN6ocOI/AAAAAAAAC38/EQFW36sz2_A/s1600/rt20x30-ETAQ1381.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UBcgvr1vak/T8eInN6ocOI/AAAAAAAAC38/EQFW36sz2_A/s320/rt20x30-ETAQ1381.jpeg" /></a></div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-50560088386180478772012-03-07T07:50:00.002-08:002012-03-07T08:03:24.317-08:00Glasgow Southside Cycle route - 40kmAs per the <a href="http://fitformyforties.blogspot.com/2012/03/glasgow-southside-cycle-route-20km.html">20km route</a> heading out along Kilmarnock road from Shawlands cross, up through Clarkston and Waterfoot, along Floors Road past Linn Hi-fi and up to the roundabout at the end of Floors road onto Humbie Rd. This time turn left, going under the A726 - tough wee climb here! - and follow that road along to Eaglesham. <br />There's a cracking wee descent into Eaglesham where Humbie Road meets Gilmour St. Turn right into Eaglesham, look for Polnoon street on your right side before you get to the end of Gilmour St. <br /><br />You're now heading into ~10km of uphill slog up the Bonnyton moor road, past the Windfarm and up to the old A77.<br /><br />Once you get onto the A77 there's a cycle path / pavement all the way down to Newton Mearns. That's the hard part over.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=pi4JMEqNVOk&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-36397523193286005382012-03-07T02:34:00.003-08:002012-03-07T08:03:24.317-08:00Glasgow Southside Cycle route - 20kmNice easy run out from Shawlands along Kilmarnock then Fenwick road. There are bike lanes most of the way, sometimes they disappear, but mostly at the traffic lights there is a reserved section up front.Sneaky wee shortcut down Otterburn road in Giffnock to avoid the roundabout at Eastwood toll. Be careful rejoining Eastwood mains road, as the cars come over the hill behind you at a decent rate - but you're on a wee downward bit here, so should get going no bother.<br />From Williamwood rail up to Clarkston it's a bit of an uphill slog, but not too bad. Through Clarkston and onwards to Waterfoot, where the road surface can get a bit crappy and drivers a wee bit impatient trying to rush to their next set of lights... Just at the far end of Waterfoot, turn right into Floors road, where there is a short steep section going around the corner, and then a less steep 1km or so up to the roundabout. Turn right at roundabout to then enjoy a mainly downhill return to Clarkston through Mearns Kirk and down the old Mearns road - Take care for cars coming out onto the road and turning right, as you'll be doing a fair old skite by the time you get onto Mearns road.<br />I cross my prevoius path here and take Clarkston Road down to Merrylee, then cut through Newlands to get back to Shawlands - where the road at Pollokshaws East Railway defies belief - It's like they've prepared the inside lane for resufacing, but only resurfaced the outside lane.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=peqdsixJcug&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-74715934881516815672012-02-27T13:36:00.003-08:002013-08-15T05:05:05.655-07:00Garmin GSC10 - Installation and AccuracyThere's a family history and a bit of a yarn, as ever, associated with my history of Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) ownership, but this post is going to concentrate on the installation and use of the Garmin GSC10 Speed / Cadence Sensor on my bike.<br /><br />I happen to own the Garmin FR60 sports-watch as a result of an entirely different need where I wanted to combine an HRM with a foot-pod for my jogging training - again, there's probably a reasonable blog, based on the decision making process I followed for that purchase, but the bike Speed / Cadence sensor wasn't actually a big part of it. Anyway, cutting to the chase, my fantastic family managed to slip the GSC10 into my Christmas stocking and I've been eager to give it a blast ever since.<br /><br />It's a kind of strange looking device and if you ever try to get some web help for it, you'll probably find as I did that the way it gets attached to the bike frame isn't exactly obvious. Further to that, some of the product complaints about the design led me down the wrong path in installation.<br /><br />Anyway, to make this blog entry as succinct as possible, check this out...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/81ODf9ckpILHZoWQRGfOJFjH_lzxzLDYG7jlgv3QnOY?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jp3czd5PTxw/T0v3xI4_jnI/AAAAAAAACpQ/ecGIMmx2fdA/s400/006.JPG" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOT how to fit the GSC10 to your bike</td></tr></tbody></table><br />That's kind of how it comes out of the box, and web reviews of the product made mention of the slight wheel speed sensor and how the easiest of knocks might cause it to get entangled with the spokes... I was in a bit of a rush to get it installed and get out there, so I just thought - "yeah! that is a bit shit!". But there was a nagging doubt in my mind. "People who make products as good as Garmin, generally wouldn't out a product if it wasn't reliable, I've got something wrong..." The staggering inaccuracy of my first run was testament as to how wrong.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="316" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/153252857" width="465"></iframe><br /><br />Compared to the Endomondo results using the GPS on my phone.<br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="http://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=pi4JMEqNVOk&amp;width=580&amp;height=600&amp;width=950&amp;height=600" width="950"></iframe><br /><br />Double the disctance at twice the speed... you'd have to be happy with that... unless you knew it was total ballocks.<br /><br />I've had to have a right good talking to myself about the 3 fundamental errors I've made here.<br /><blockquote>1. Rushed to the installation<br />2. Rushed the installation<br />3. Rushed away from the installation , without testing it... without even having a plan to test it!</blockquote><br />The first big mistake - and it's an embarrassing one too! is that the bloody sensor arm shouldn't be pointing up in the air like some sort of phallic, tenement flat TV aeriel, it folds round the back of the frame to get protected by the frame from being bumped into the spokes... like... <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_PxQEMnkyfhQF937lsyyz1jH_lzxzLDYG7jlgv3QnOY?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wmEb2RmJEAc/T0v38Tf9NTI/AAAAAAAACow/HJlK1l89TWQ/s400/052.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotate the sensor arm around to protect it with bike frame</td></tr></tbody></table>Doh!!! That's better!<br />On the accuracy thing, well I have 2 thoughts. One (less likely) is that the Speed sensor was also picking up the pedal magnet, thus giving more than one magnet pass per wheel revolution. The 2nd is that when I started turning the pedals and my watch said it had picked up the bike sensor without me needing to run the 'pair' operation - I assumed that it had picked up the right bike sensor and I didn't need to run the pair operation... you know what they say about 'Assume'... and there I am.. a great stonking ass!!<br /><br />'Paired' them up just to be sure and went for a couple of short test rides along the road. FR60 now agrees with the Cateye Mity 8 - which is a perfectly good bike computer - that came with the bike. So, now I have my Heart rate, cadence and speed fully integrated... Workouts can be exported to Endomondo... but what I'm really looking for now is an ANT+ enabled phone, running Endomondo and talking to all my Garmin toys... that would be sweet... but for now, I'm a happy camper... Although I suppose I'd better get that chain oiled soon...<br /><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LqyUx8cxZ-caCV6WiQE65FjH_lzxzLDYG7jlgv3QnOY?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="216" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BehHVqTgLeA/T0v3yq4BPeI/AAAAAAAACpE/kOHQmL3Qcvw/s288/016.JPG" width="288" /></a><br /><br />I still think the instructions suck though!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-30192096305354766812012-02-20T06:51:00.000-08:002012-02-20T07:05:40.788-08:00Start of program Stat Porn...Well, back to the gym for a few wee tests just to get a feel for where we are.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td>Weight</td><td>84.5 kg</td><td>Expected result - must lose some weight</td></tr><tr><td>Treadmill Fit test (est VO2 max)</td><td>44.0</td><td>Great result! - m/c must be broken</td></tr><tr><td>O'Neill Rowing test</td><td>985m</td><td>Below Average - typical result though</td></tr><tr><td>60 second Press up test</td><td>41</td><td>Rubbish :-)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Disappointed with the Press-ups, but otherwise not too bad. I'm fairly sure the cardio-vascular truth lies somewhere between the treadmill test and the O'Neill one, but the strength result tells it's own story... That should be easy enough to improve upon though, seeing as those would have been the first press-ups I've done this year...Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-16380905154246581622012-02-17T13:56:00.001-08:002012-02-17T14:00:50.430-08:00Just giving pageThat's the <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/Etape2012">just giving </a> page up and running now... <br /><br />http://www.justgiving.com/Etape2012Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-63971175620016431242012-02-17T02:23:00.001-08:002012-02-17T02:27:28.623-08:00Spin class at Garmin Connect - DetailsJust seeing how this looks. I got a Garmin FR60 with footpod, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) and Bike Speed / Cadence Sensor package last year. The bike stuff is still in it's packet, but I think it could be a worthy training tool. Using Garmin Connect, which is the default online tool. Just now I'm really just trying to get a feel for how many calories the individual activities I have planned actually burn and how different cycling is from running in terms of heart rate. could it be that cycling will be a good solution to the problem of finding a low intensity but longer exercise time activity... Common sense would suggest that to b e true... Let's see how the Science works out<br /><br /><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149842971#.Tz4qfVF3WqI.blogger">Spin class by jim.macfarlane at Garmin Connect - Details</a>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-59622072130686346662012-02-15T13:03:00.001-08:002012-02-15T14:16:11.010-08:00On yer Bike!Well, it's been a while since I've thought much about fitness - arrival of a beautiful baby girl last year seemed to take over the entire house and if that wasn't enough the boy is now 4 and a total headbanger to boot... but enough of my excuses. What are we up to this year?<br /><br />Having soundly won Challenge 40 with a 00:50:06 10km in Inverness - the highlights of which were watching Bruce MacGregor stumbling over the line in utter agony and John McFetrige's (55 min) claim that if he'd known I was only 5 minutes ahead, he'd have run faster. We moved onto Swim-Bike-Run in Nairn for 2011. Novice Triathalon was enough for us to gain the utmost respect for the big boy Triathletes. After being soundly thrashed, my excuse being one of equipment (Clapped out, weighs a ton, mountain bike Vs Lance Armstrong model Trek road racing bike) paled into insignificance as Finlay's wee sister (ok, she had a triathlon suit and something called a transition box) soundly cuffed us. 2012 brings us a new, bigger biking challenge. Finlay often talks about 'threads of performance' and if you're not prepared to organise your equipment to facilitate you reaching your potential, you get no sympathy (being married, it's an unfamiliar concept anyway!). But, he's right! If you're going to run with the big dogs, you need to play by the rules and learn your lessons. Fortunately, a work colleague just so happened to have a Bianchi (no, I'd never heard of it either) Italian, thoroughbred, road racing bike and assorted equipments for sale at a most reasonable price.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/omzXeC3tjDpGn4_nuKU0fVjH_lzxzLDYG7jlgv3QnOY?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TiXoiwX5NgM/TzwljkjAPBI/AAAAAAAACnM/glbuwb6fhls/s400/13112011286.jpg" height="255" width="400" alt="Thoroughbred Italian Beauty" /></a></td></tr></table><br /><br />You can hardly rage against the gods when they're literally throwing Manna at your head, so I'm now the proud of owner of this wee beauty. It's a totally different ride from the mountain bike (actually I think I might post on the trials of buying a new bike for the technically minded, commitment-phobe) and I really should have taken it somewhere safe to at least get competent with it before endangering my life on the roads around Glasgow, but you really can get going on it too. I've circled up to East Kilbride and home one weekend and had a cracking 25km ride out through Waterfoot and up to the top of Newton Mearns before skiting (51km/h max speed recorded) home on a glorious downhill return leg.<br /><br />On other matters, I haven't really changed my mind about the components of fitness I surmised in <a href="http://fitformyforties.blogspot.com/2009/07/components-of-fitness-for-40-year-old.html"> this post </a>. I suppose I'll have to get more cycling specific - if only to get used to the idea of sitting on the barely blnted razor blade that passes for a <s>seat</s> saddle.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-494663213276975352010-10-08T05:03:00.000-07:002010-10-08T05:13:08.842-07:00Loch Ness 10kmDelighted with a finish time of 50:06.<br /><br />Well, I say delighted but for the sake of 7 seconds I could have had a sub-50 minute 10km under my belt for the first time in about 10 years, grrrr!!!! <br /><br />The stat porn is a like this<br /><table><br /><tr><td>Predicted VO2 Max:</td><td>39.9</td></tr><br /><tr><td>Predicted speed at VO2 max:</td><td>07:23 min/mile</td></tr> <br /><tr><td>Age graded time::</td><td> 56.7% </td></tr> <br /></table><br /><br />Haven't really though about what the predicted speed at VO2 max actually means, but it translates to 8.13 miles per hour or ~13km/hour.<br /><br />anyway, the good news is that it's more than 1 minute better than my predicted race times from last week, based on the 5km, but nowhere near the times predicted by the VO2 max measurement on the treadmill...<br /><br />At least that tells us something... in order to predict a race time, based on a race time, it's much better to base it on a run similar to the one you're actually going to undertake, rather than some crappy gym test... who'd a thunk it?Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-6641903993749702492010-09-28T05:15:00.000-07:002010-09-28T05:36:36.170-07:00Event specific testingSo, it's the big 10km race in Inverness this Sunday and I can't wait. Training has been pretty piss poor if I'm honest though. Putting a 2 week family holiday into the schedule just 3 weeks before the event smacks of poor planning... getting lashed on the vino most night smacks of an irresponsible lack of commitment... ho hum!<br /><br />I thought I'd put myself to the test as best I can this week to check my form though.<br /><br />Saturday's 5km <a href="http://www.parkrun.org.uk/glasgow/Results/LatestResults.aspx">parkrun</a> saw me record a personal best 24:40. To be fair it's notth emost accurate timing in the world and I could probably claim a few seconds back for the way the start is organised... but I won't.<br />Using the <a href="http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/vo2.php?metres=5000&amp;hr=0&amp;min=24&amp;sec=40&amp;age=40&amp;gender=M&amp;Submit=Calculate">Running for Fitness</a> website that gives a predicted VO2 max of 38.9.<br />According to the VO2 max normalised tables (find them <a href="http://www.topendsports.com/testing/vo2norms.htm">here</a>) that's not much better than average.<br />The mitigating factor here would have to be that the Glasgow Parkrun is a bit of a beast with 2 laps of a fairly hilly route, but average is less than good in my book!<br /><br />Race Predictions:<br /><center><br /><table width="50%" border="1"><br /><tbody><tr><br /><td><a href="http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/rws-race-time-predictor/1681.html%22">Riegel formula</a> based on 5km time</td><br /><td>51:25</td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td><a href="http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/equiv.php?VO2=38.9&amp;age=40&amp;gender=M&amp;Submit=Calculate">VO2 max</a></td><br /><td>51:13</td><br /></tr></tbody></table><br /></center><br /><br />To be fair I'd take either of those time quite comfortably.<br /><br />Anyway, I went to the gym today and did a V02 max test on the treadmill (5 min test walking at 7.3 km/hour). Estimated VO2 max was 44.3 (that's above 'above average' and into 'good', which is in the very good category and I'm much happier with that... until I relise this means a predicted 10km time of 45:50... I'd be ecstatic with that... in fact 47min would be an awesome 10km run for me...<br /><br />Quickly rubbing the gloss of that result though was the O'Neal rowing test on the concept2 Rowers, where my meagre 990m is still below average... I think I'm going to assume that the only people they actually measured doing this test were keen rowers with the physique for rowing... unlike my short legged, long backed, not very flexible one...<br /><br />What does all this mean? It probably means that I could run a half decent 10km if I put my mind to it properly and even if I plod I should still be running much faster that I have been in the recent past...<br /><br />I'll let you know how it goes!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-83423281306298829302010-07-15T01:54:00.001-07:002010-07-15T02:02:29.556-07:00Squash - Getting better...2-3 with the final game going to 8-8, against a man closer to my own age... so not quite as embarrasing as the previous 2 games (0-3 drubbings by pensioners).<br /><br />Not rushing every shot now as I desperately lunge to get close to the ball, but actually getting into decent positions and giving myself a bit more time to consider the shot. Perversely though, most of my unforced errors came from having too much time to think about what I was doing or getting ahead of myself and moving to the next shot before I've played the current one. As a game, it's got a lot more than just physical fitness or even ability to play a shot. The tactical side of squash turns out to a be a whole lot more important than I'd ever imagined it to be! On the other hand, I came off court dripping in sweat and the guys in the court next to us looked like they were in a steam bath, so it's still a mighty work out.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-2339961113288251032010-07-14T06:59:00.000-07:002010-07-14T07:09:08.460-07:00Running testNice page <a href="http://www.mens-fitness-and-health.com/Running-Test.html">here</a> on a 1.5 mile running test.<br /><br />1.5 miles is 2.4 km<br /><br />To run 2.4km at 15km/hour (the required speed for a 40 min 10km) the 40 year old man will get there in 9 minutes 36 seconds and has a VO2 max > 48 putting him in the top 90% of performers for his age...<br /><br />Running at 10.8km / hour (my plodding speed) is pretty much the 50% mark - Jo Average! Baws to that!<br /><br />To get into the top 25% we need to break 11 min 49 seconds, which equates to a running speed of 12.6km/hour - that'll do for a start!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7256923425627162426.post-3419860605032826642010-07-14T02:55:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:59:20.354-07:00Age Grading & Body weight considerationsSo <a href="http://www.caipliehouse.co.uk">Finlay</a> has issued the Challenge 40. Run a 10km road race with your target time in minutes being your age...<br /><br />There's been chat of a wee caveat to entice the rugby boys, which is that if you can bench press twice your final time, then you're ok.<br /><br />That's maybe a wee bit unfair on the shorter, fat chap (me!) so I'm proposing that he introduces actual body weight into that equation to even things up.<br /><br />Bench press = (Race time / Age) * Body weight.<br /><br />So an 85 kg chap running in 40 minutes should bench press 85kg, but if he runs in 45 mins, he needs to bench press 95.625kg.<br /><br />The gist of it is there are 2 aims here... Run 10k as fast as you can and lose as much weight as you can, but there's no real hiding place!<br /><br />Anyway, speaking of the Challenge 40 - seemingly arbitrary time limit, I thought I'd do a wee bit research. There's a method used by many running clubs to grade people using the age of the runner and the approximate world record level for a runner that age.<br /><br />There's a link <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/agegradingcalculator/0,7977,s6-238-277-415-0-0-0-0,00.html">here</a> but to put things into persepective - a word I'm coming around to hating! - A 40 year old running a 10km race in 40 minutes gets an age graded score of 71.02% - which is actually a Regional class time. The world record for a 40 year old would be 28:25<br /><br /><blockquote>EXPLANATION<br />Your age-graded score is the ratio of the approximate world-record time for your age and gender divided by your actual time.<br /><br />Age-graded scores have been categorized into these broad achievement levels:<br />100% = Approximate World Record Level<br />Over 90% = World Class<br />Over 80% = National Class<br />Over 70% = Regional Class<br />Over 60% = Local Class<br /><br />To score 100% you would need a time of:<br /><br />Your age-graded time is your finish time adjusted to that of an open division participant using a factor for age and gender. Thus, the times for women and older participants are adjusted downward, while the times for most open division participants (such as 25-year-old men) remain the same.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Look, noone said it was an easy challenge!Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00797359279671022904noreply@blogger.com0